The Proverbial Bernard Shaw: An Index to Proverbs in the Works of George Bernard Shaw

(Hardback)

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Bernard Shaw was a prolific author of book reviews, novels, plays, criticism, essays, and correspondence. Throughout his voluminous writings, proverbs occur repeatedly. This book is a comprehensive index to proverbs in Shaw's writings. An introductory chapter discusses the importance of proverbs in Shaw's works and analyses his use of them. The bulk of the volume is a key-word index to the proverbs, along with a list of editions of Shaw's writings that were consulted. Proverbs in the key-word index are arranged alphabetically according to the most significant word in the text. Each entry cites quotations from Shaw's works in which the proverb appears. Entries also identify the edition of Shaw's works consulted, and provide the page number on which the proverb appears. The entries then cite major proverb and quotation dictionaries which can be consulted for additional information. Appendices overview the frequency with which Shaw used various proverbial expressions and summarise their distribution in his writings.

Reviews

This study will serve as an invaluable source for a wide variety of analytical and interpretive studies involving the vast pool of Shavian proverbial expression. Providing easy access to over 2,000 proverbial texts in Shaw's work, this index will be of great assistance to any scholar interested in Shaw or any linguist, folklorist, satirist, or literary critic who wishes to delve into the rich and complex world of proverbial expression.-ARBA 95
"This study will serve as an invaluable source for a wide variety of analytical and interpretive studies involving the vast pool of Shavian proverbial expression. Providing easy access to over 2,000 proverbial texts in Shaw's work, this index will be of great assistance to any scholar interested in Shaw or any linguist, folklorist, satirist, or literary critic who wishes to delve into the rich and complex world of proverbial expression."-ARBA 95

Author Bio

GEORGE B. BRYAN is Professor of Theatre at the University of Vermont./e He has published several reference books on theatrical biography, the latest of which are Ethel Merman: A Bio-Bibliography (Greenwood, 1992), and Stage Deaths: A Biographical Guide to International Theatrical Obituaries, 1850 to 1990 (Greenwood, 1991). Bryan's Black Sheep, Red Herrings, and Blue Murder: The Proverbial Agatha Christie (1993) appeared in a series under the general editorship of Wolfgang Mieder. WOLFGANG MIEDER is Professor of German and Folklore at the University of Vermont. His many books include A Dictionary of American Proverbs (1992), Proverbs are Never out of Season (1993), The Proverbial Winston S. Churchill (Greenwood, 1995), (1997), and numerous others. He is also the editor of Proverbium: Yearbook of International Proverb Scholarship.